End stop means for sliding clasp fasteners

ABSTRACT

A sliding clasp fastener is provided with a top end stop for terminating the movement of a slider at the top end of the fastener, which end stop comprises a pair of plastic slugs arranged such that opposed stringer tapes at an extreme end of the fasteners beyond the top end stop are held in parallel alignment when the slider is brought into abutting engagement with the said end stop.

United States Patent Ebata 1 1 Jan. 28, 1975 [54] END STOP MEANS FOR SLIDING CLASP 3,353,256 11/1967 Frohlich ct 24/205.1l F 3,482,292 12/196) Frohlich 24/205 ll F FASTENERS 3,485,69l l2/l969 Waldes 24/205.ll F [75] lnventor: Hiroyuki Ebata, Uozu. J pan $505,710 4 1970 Frohlich 24/205111 F 3,605,208 9/197] Carlile 24/205.ll F [73] Assgnee' Kabush'k' Kmsha 3.672.008 6/1972 Mocrtel et al 24/2051! F Tokyo, Japan [22] Filed: July 17, 1973 Primary Examiner-Roy D. Frazier Assistant Etaminrr-Darrell Marquette [2]] App! 379965 Attorney, Agent, or FirmFrank J. Jordan [30] Foreign Application Priority Data [57] ABSTRACT July 18, 1972 Japan 47-85303 A sliding clasp fastener is provided with a top end stop for terminating the movement of a slider at the top [52] U.S. Cl. 24/205. F end of the fastener, which end stop comprises a pair of [51] Int. Cl A44b 19/36 plastic slugs arranged such that opposed stringer tapes [58] Field of Search 24/205.l 1 F, 205.] 1 R at an extreme end of the fasteners beyond the top end A stop are held in parallel alignment when the slider is [56] References Cited brought into abutting engagement with the said end UNITED STATES PATENTS p- 2,190,608 2/1940 Poux 24/205.11 R 4 Claims, 6 Drawing Figures v I I I l AA I 16 15 & /1 6 2 16 b1 16b 15C2 14 l 129 1 C1 16c M AW PATENTEBJANZBIHYS sum 1 or 2;

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BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION This invention relates to a sliding clasp fastener and has particular reference to means for stopping the movement of a slider at a predetermined point on the top end of the fastener to prevent the same from running off the fastener elements.

Prior to this invention, there were known many top end stops of different form and construction that were adapted to restrict or terminate the movement of the slider when closing the fastener.

One such known end stop is formed by simply thermally deforming plastic fastener elements attached to the stringer tapes of the fastener. Although this is simple in the manufacture, it is made up of only limited quantity of a plastic material and is liable to damage from repeated impinging contact with the slider.

Another conventional end stop consists of a plastic strip or film adhered by heat and pressure to a relatively large area of the stringer tapes including the beaded edges thereof which are rendered rigid by impregnating a plastic material of the strip, with fastener elements removed off the portion of the beaded edges which lies opposite to the guide flange surface of the slider when brought into stopped position. This type of end stop renders the movement of the slider rather heavy and sluggish particularly when the same is manipulated to start off in a direction to open the fastener.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is the general object of the present invention to eliminate the above difficulties of the prior art end stop for sliding clasp fasteners.

A more specific object of the invention is to provide an improved means of stopping the slider at a desired point on the top end of a sliding clasp fastener, which means will facilitate the starting movement of the slider off said point to open the fastener.

Another specific object of the invention is to provide an improved top end stop means which will prohibit the tendency of opposed stringer tapes at an extreme end of the fastener beyond the location of said stop means to flare apart or diverge relative to the longitudinal axis of the fastener.

These and other objects and features of the invention will be more apparent from the following description of certain preferred embodiments taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings wherein like reference numerals denote like parts throughout the several views.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a plan view of a sliding clasp fastener having mounted thereon a slider and an end stop means shown in engagement therewith;

FIG. 2 is a plan view of one of the two stringer tapes of the fastener of FIG. 1, in which the coupling heads of some of the fastener elements embraced by the stop means are removed;

FIG. 3 is a transverse cross-sectional view taken along the line III-III of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a plan view similar to FIG. 2 but showing the coupling heads of some of the fastener elements retracted at the stop means to lie flush with the beaded edge of the stringer tape;

FIG. 5 is a plan view of a modification of the stop means shown in FIG. 1; and

FIG. 6 is a transverse cross-sectional view taken along the line VI-VI of FIG. 5.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Referring now to the accompanying drawings and FIG. 1 in particular, there is shown a sliding clasp fastener 10 of the type which comprises a pair of opposed stringer tapes 11,11 each carrying along their respective longitudinal beaded edges 12,12 a row of inter locking fastener elements 13 formed from a continuous plastic filament and a slider 14 mounted on the fastener 10 for reciprocal movement along the beaded edges 12,12 to take the fastener elements 13 into and out of engagement with one another; namely, to close and open the fastener 10 in a well known manner. The slider 14 partly shown in FIG. 1 is of the usual construction consisting generally of spaced-apart upper wing (not shown) and lower wing 1411, respectively, inwardly bent to form side flanges 14b,l4b and connected by a neck in such a manner as to provide substantially a Y-shaped channel for guiding the movement of the fastener elements 13 therethrough.

In accordance with the invention, there is provided a top end stop means generally designated 15 which is adapted to restrict or terminate the movement of the slider 14 at a predetermined point adjacent to the top end region of the fastener 10. The stop means 15 comprises a pair of oppositely disposed slugs 16,16 made of a plastic material such as a thermoplastic resin and secured as by a moulding operation to the respective opposed stringer tapes ll,11 adjacent to the beaded edges 12,12 thereof. Each slug 16 is substantially lobeshaped and has a longitudinal linear edge 16a extending inwardly of and substantially in parallel with the beaded edge 12, a bottom end 16b disposed substantially at right angles to the longitudinal edge 160, a cam surface contiguous to the bottom end 16b and consisting of a first contour or guide surface 160, configured to match a flared inner guide wall 14d of the slider 14 and a second contour or abutment l6c disposed in abutting relation to the upper flange end Me of the slider 14 as depicted in FIG. 1.

With this construction, as the slider 14 is brought up into abutting engagement with the stop means 15 after closing the opposed stringer tapes 11,11, together, the flange ends Me of the slider 14 abut against corresponding cam surfaces 160 of the opposed slugs 16,16 and urge these slugs to move slightly inwardly in the direction of the arrow together with adjacent portions of the stringer tapes 11,11 until the beaded edges 12,12 of the opposed stringer tapes 11,11 are brought into close registry with corresponding sides of the neck 14c, thereby holding the opposed stringer tapes 11,11 above the stop means 15 substantially in alignment which would otherwise tend to flare apart or spread outwardly away from each other.

In accordance with the invention, the coupling head portions 13a of a fastener element or elements 13 encompassed by the slug 16 on each stringer tape 11 and located at a point opposite to the guide surface 160, of the slug 16 are retained or survived thereat without being removed, while the coupling heads 13a of the remaining elements embraced by the slug 16 are either cut off as shown in FIGS. 1, 2 and 5 or displaced or retracted laterally away from the beaded edge 12 of the tape 11 as shown in FIG. 4. In either case, the said remaining elements 13 that are exposed on the beaded edge 12 should extend fully up to its extremity or marginal line 12a as best depicted in FIGS. 2 to 4.

The starting movement of the slider 14 is improved by the provision of the fastener element or elements 13 which lie opposite to the guide surface 160, and which have their respective uncut coupling heads 13a disengaged from the corresponding ones on the mating stringer tape 11 to permit the passage therethrough of the neck 140 of the slider 14.

Referring to FIGS. 5 and 6, there is shown a modification of the stop means 15 according to the invention wherein the opposed slugs 16,16 consituting the stop means 15 are each reinforced with integral thinned foil member 17 of which plastic material penetrates into and is adhesively bonded to the fabric of the stringer tape 11, thereby securing the slug 16 firmly into position on the fastener 10.

Wl-Iat is claimed is:

1. In a sliding clasp fastener of the type which comprises a pair of oppositely disposed stringer tapes each carrying along their respective longitudinal edges a row of interlocking fastener elements made of a continuous plastic filament and a slider having side flanges including an inner guide wall and an upper flange end and mounted on the fastener for reciprocal movement along the said longitudinal edges, a top end stop means which comprises a pair of oppositely disposed slugs of a plastic material secured to the respective opposed stringer tapes adjacent to the beaded edges thereof. each of said slugs having a longitudinal linear edge extending inwardly of and substantially parallel to the beaded edge, a cam having cam surfaces on each of said slugs contiguous to said linear edge, and disposed in abutting relation to said inner guide wall and said upper flange end of the slider. said pair of slugs embracing a group of fastener elements of which the elementor elements of said group located at a point opposite to said cam have their coupling heads intact and disengaged from the corresponding ones on the mating stringer tape, with the remaining elements in said group having ends registering with an extremity of the beaded edge of the tape.

2. A stop means as defined in claim 1 wherein said remaining elements in said group are displaced laterally to a point at which their coupling heads lie flush with an extremity of the beaded edge of the tape.

3. A stop means as defined in claim 1 wherein each of said slugs is reinforced with a thinned foil member integrally formed therewith and adhesively bonded to the fabric of the stringer tape.

4. A stop means as defined in claim I wherein said remaining elements in said group have their coupling heads removed at a point registering with the extremity of the beaded edge of the tape. 

1. In a sliding clasp fastener of the type which comprises a pair of oppositely disposed stringer tapes each carrying along their respective longitudinal edges a row of interlocking fastener elements made of a continuous plastic filament and a slider having side flanges including an inner guide wall and an upper flange end and mounted on the fastener for reciprocal movement along the said longitudinal edges, a top end stop means which comprises a pair of oppositely disposed slugs of a plastic material secured to the respective opposed stringer tapes adjacent to the beaded edges thereof, each of said slugs having a longitudinal linear edge extending inwardly of and substantially parallel to the beaded edge, a cam having cam surfaces on each of said slugs contiguous to said linear edge, and disposed in abutting relation to said inner guide wall and said upper flange end of the slider, said pair of slugs embracing a group of fastener elements of which the element or elements of said group located at a point opposite to said cam have their coupling heads intact and disengaged from the corresponding ones on the mating stringer tape, with the remaining elements in said group having ends registering with an extremity of the beaded edge of the tape.
 2. A stop means as defined in claim 1 wherein said remaining elements in said group are displaced laterally to a point at which their coupling heads lie flush with an extremity of the beaded edge of the tape.
 3. A stop means as defined in claim 1 wherein each of said slugs is reinforced with a thinned foil member integrally formed therewith and adhesively bonded to the fabric of the stringer tape.
 4. A stop means as defined in claim 1 wherein said remaining elements in said group have their coupling heads removed at a point registering with the extremity of the beaded edge of the tape. 